Method for purifying cork.



J. SERRA (Y GARB).

METHOD POR PURII'YING CORK.

APYLIGATION FILED APB.

1906. BBHBWED SEPT. 29, 1908.

Patented Nov. 3, 19%A UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEroE.

JOS SERRA (Y oAnno), or BARCELONA, SPAIN, ASSIGNOR To HARVEY ooALE, or

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

METHOD FOR PURIFYING CORK Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 3, 1908.

Application filed April 17, 1906, Serial No. 312,261. Renewed September 29, 1908. Serial No. $55,304:.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Beit known that I, Jos SERRA (Y CAnB), a subect of the King of Spain, residing in Barce ona, Spain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Purif ing Co'rk, of which the following is a speci 'cationf In-Letters Patent of the United States, #846251, dated Mar. 5, 1907, I have described a method of making an artificial cork used when thc method is to be carried out on a small scale.

In this drawing,-Figu1e 1 is a central vertical section ol the device. Fig. 2 is a bottom view.

I have found that in order to completely purify and cleanse the cork ranules, it 1s necessary that the granule sha1 be treated so as to have the impurities carried thereby loosened and each granule separately Washed free from the dust and adherent foreign matter, but owing to the extreme lightness of the cork this has been found to be an extremely difficult matter.

I have found that the desired result may be accom lished by first inclosing a mass of the granu es of'cork so as to hold it in oonfinemcnt, and then while inclosed and confined submerging the mass in an aqueous bath and permitting the bath to have access to the granules during such submergence and then freeing the granules and`allowing them to rise in a separated condition to the surface of the bath, whereby the granules are independently cleansed and purified, and thus each granule passes upward throuvh the purifying liquid and is independentlyT cleansed and purified, the impurities, being invariably heavier than the cork, settling to the bottom of the body of li uid.

In order that the looseningr of the impurities adhering to the cork may be more quickly andthoroughly effected I prefer to use an aqueous bath contninin a solventv adapted to assist in settingI free t e cohering impurities from the granules and mention as a chemical ada ted for this purpose', sulfurie acid, but lpdo not limit myself tothe special chemical used, and if desired the granules may beV subject to the action of more than one kind of li uid.

The device shown in t e drawings is suitable for carrying out the process on a small scale comprising a rece tacle A of inverted funnel shape having a ottom of wire mesh or gauze, suitably hinged so as to allow it to be opened for the filling of the rece tacle with the material to be treated. T e receptacle has a handle C by which it may be su merged in the aqueous bath, andv its u per smaller end i's provided with a cover which is hinged and which has a rod D extending up in roXimit to the handle for manipulating t e cover to open and close the same. After the mass of the granules has been inclosed and confined within the receptacle, the said receptacle is submer ed for a sufficient length of time, the liqui of the bath passing through the perforate bottom'and coming in contact of course with all of the cork particles. After the receptacle has been submerged for a sufficient lengt of time for the bath to loosen the coheringimpuritiesiof the granules I open the covelr B and allow the granules to pass through the o ening in the top of the receptacle, and as t, is opening is contracted as shown 1n fthe drawings, the granules are discharged gradually or in a separated condition from th receptacle and pass upwardly and are independently cleansed and purified, the freed 1m urities settling to the bottom of the bath.

aving thus described my invention, what I claim is:-

1. The process of purifying cork consisting in submer ing a confined mass of the ranules of cor in an aqueous bath containing a solvent adapted to set free cohering impurities from the granules, then freeing the granules from confinement and ermitting them to rise te the surface of the girth.

2. The process of purifying cork consistin in first inclosing a mass of the granules o cork, then while held inclosed and confined submer ing the mass in an aqueous bath and In witness whereof I have hereunto si ned permittln the bath to have access to th my name in the presence of two subsori ing rnules ung such submergence and then wltnesses.

racing them and allown them to rise in a JGS SERRA (Y CARB). 5 separated condition to t e surface of the Witnesses:

bath Whereb the granules are independi F. L. MIDDLETON,

ently cleanse and purified. MADDIN SUMMERS. 

